Apple has unveiled iOS 26 and it is the biggest redesign of the operating system so far – these innovations come to your iPhone!
Apple unveils iOS 26
During the WWDC 2025 has unveiled Apple iOS 26, which is equipped with a completely new, glassy design and of course many new functions. We list the most important innovations for you.
A new name: iOS 26
To start with, Apple will no longer continue this year with the usual numbering of the operating system for the iPhone. Apple has therefore not presented iOS 19, but iOS 26, named after the year 2026. The same applies to Watchos, MacOS, TVOS and Visionos.
Liquid Glass: A completely new design
iOS 26 is the biggest update since iOS 7 in 2013. The design is inspired by Visionos, the operating system of the Vision Pro, and it is called Liquid Glass. It looks glassy, ​​with transparent frameworks, elements and widgets. Think of buttons, switches, slider, text and media buttons, but also tabbeams and side bars for navigating apps.
Liquid Glass is translucent and, according to Apple, behaves just like glass in the real world. The color is determined by the environment and adjusts between light and dark environments. Liquid Glass uses real -time rendering and responds dynamically to movement with mirroring highlights.
Here you will find Liquid Glass
In iOS 26, tab beams are smaller while scrolling down, so that the focus remains on the content. As soon as you scroll up again, the tabbeams will become larger again. These renewed elements are also used in apps such as camera, photos, safari, facetime, Apple Music, Apple News and Apple podcasts.
You can find the new design on the lock screen, the home screen, the desktop and the dock. To keep the focus on the photo background on the locking screen, the time display is also made of Liquid Glass. This automatically adjusts to the background. The app icons and widgets are also all made from Liquid Glass. They offer more personalization options, but at the same time feel familiar.
Apple Intelligence
Apple has also announced that Apple Intelligence will be available in the Netherlands later this year. In the apps messages, Facetime and Phone you can also use live translation. With that you can make yourself understood in a different language and have texts and audio translated on the spot. You can also ask chatgpt questions about the content on your screen and visual AI recognizes it when you look at an appointment or activity and propose to add it to your agenda.
Updates for Apps
Carplay Not only looks better in iOS 26, but is also more user -friendly. There is a new compact display for incoming conversations, so that you can see who is calling without missing the next route. Furthermore, with the arrival of widgets and live activities in CarPlay, you will stay informed of important information without your attention to traffic underneath.
In Apple Music You can now have lyrics translated and the Automix-Feature driven by AI lets each song seamlessly overflow into the following with the help of Timestretching and BeatMatching.
In Apple Wallet All sorts of actions become a lot easier in iOS 26. For example, you can choose to pay in the store in installments or with your saved points. Furthermore, the display of your entry cards in Wallet has been renewed, so that you can see live activities – for example the latest news about your flight.
Apple Games Is a new app for all your games. Here you will find all your games, but you can also discover new games. The Games app is also ideal for Apple Arcade, Apple’s subscription service.
The Telephone app Has a new design, with all your favorites, recent conversations and voicemails in one place. The feature ‘Screening calls’ is based on live voicemail and collects information about the caller, so that you can determine on the basis of that whether or not you record.
In the Message app You can screen messages from an unknown sender: if you receive a message from an unknown sender, it will be stated in a separate folder. If you seem to know the person anyway, you can mark the number as well -known. You can also ask the sender for more information or delete the number. Messages from an unknown sender are held still as long as you do not open them.
iOS 26: These iPhones get the update
Most iPhones that support iOS 18 also receive the update to iOS 26. But there are a few exceptions. Three to be precise:
- iPhone XS;
- iPhone XS Max;
- iPhone Xr.
That means that all iPhones can update to iOS 26 from the iPhone 11 in September.
This is when you can install iOS 26
You have to be patient before you can install iOS 26 on your iPhone. The first beta version now goes to developers, the final version for the general public will probably appear in September.
Apple often releases new software versions on Monday or Tuesday. If we look very far ahead, the official release of iOS 26 may stand out Monday, September 15 or Tuesday September 16.
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